Wales – were the english language is not really english (at least I had trouble understanding it) and the grass is greener than green. Not to mention the stunning coastline and the beautiful landscape. How did I get here? I had a few sunny days ahead of me and so I decided to dip quickly into Wales. After all, it was time for some activities. Hiking the Gower Coast sounded fun, which then followed by driving through the Snowdonia National Park and mountains.
Aberystwyth Town Wales
WALES
My first stop in Wales was the Chepstow Castle, sitting at the end of the Wye River, followed by Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Both beautiful stops, however I was in Wales for the nature.
It was time to get outdoors (after leaving my bicycle behind) so I set my mind on the Gower Coast. It is a beautiful walking path near Swansea, that starts in the town, The Mumbles, and snakes along the coast for approximately 74km, finishing at the small town Lougher. (Best map overview here, however I found also helpful maps in my hotel near Swansea). Personally I decided to start at the Three Cliffs Bay, aiming for approx 20km.
Chepstow Castle 
Cardiff Castle
Hiking the Gower Coast
I parked my car near the Three Cliffs Bay and set off for a leisurely hike along the coast.
The route was easy to find and well signed. There were a few different paths to choose from along the way but they all joined together (made me think of my hike back in Poland last year, were signage was a litte bit harder to find). After passing the Three Cliffs Bay I took the path that lead through the forrest, which was amazing.
After a quick lunch break in Oxwich, I headed uphill to the Oxwich green plateau only to go down hill again, to a track that lead along the cliffs. It was just stunning. The cliffs and ocean, as well as the green landscape created amazing views all along.
I happily finished at Port Eynon and caught the bus back to my car in Parkmill (Bus 118). That said, if I would have done it again, I probably would have started in Oxwich and finished in Rhossili or further up. The landscape after Oxwich was much more breathtaking and stunning.
Nevertheless I had a great day outdoors, hiking the Gower Coast and enjoyed the beauty of Wales. Not to mention the perfect day of sunshine to do it. Just like in Norway where I had only one sunny day to hike Trolltunga.
That said the clouds just came in as I finished the walk.
(P.S. Make sure you take lots of snacks and water, because the options are only fish & chips from little convenience stores.)
Driving through Wales
The Snowdonia National Park
Situated further north from the Gower Coast and on the west coast of Britain, sits the Snowdonia National Park, the largest National Park in Wales.
There are some amazing hikes to be done in this National Park, not to mention climbing the tallest mountain in Wales, the Snowdon Mountain (1085m). However I was short on time and the sun disappeared again so I settled on driving the scenic route (A498) through the Snowdonia National Park instead.
It was beautiful! The green valleys are endless and the hills look like green waves that mould into one big amazing landscape. Even though the weather wasn’t perfect there were still some tough hikers out and about. As for me, after walking the Gower Coast, I didn’t mind driving through this part of Wales. I stopped only to take some photos of the stunning view.
And so…
Once outside the Snowdonia National Park I continued the route towards Chester only to suddenly discover an amazing ancient castle. I had to stop! Conwy (or Conway in English) is a cute and small fishing village that I was happy to have stopped at. I have never heard off Conwy before, but it was one of the nicer towns in Wales. Especially with a castle like that.
Conwy Castle
And so, after a few days in beautiful Wales, it was time to return to England, exploring the areas of county Yorkshire.
